Politicians and civil rights groups from the Washington to Phoenix have weighed in on Arizona’s tough law designed to combat illegal immigration by requiring law enforcement personnel to ascertain the citizenship status of any individuals who arouse their “reasonable suspicion.”

The measure, which was opposed by Arizona prosecutors, police officers and local governments, was signed into law by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday.

Here is a sampling of commentary:

FOR

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer

“I’ve decided to sign Senate Bill 1070 into law because, though many people disagree, I firmly believe it represents what’s best for Arizona. Border-related violence and crime due to illegal immigration are critically important issues to the people of our state, to my administration and to me, as your governor and as a citizen.

“There is no higher priority than protecting the citizens of Arizona. We cannot sacrifice our safety to the murderous greed of drug cartels. We cannot stand idly by as drop houses, kidnappings and violence compromise our quality of life. We cannot delay while the destruction happening south of our international border creeps its way north.

“We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act. But decades of federal inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation.”

AGAINST

President Obama

“Government has a responsibility to enforce the law and secure our borders and set clear rules and priorities for future immigration…

“Indeed, our failure to act responsibly at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others. And that includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threatened to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe.

“In fact, I’ve instructed members of my administration to closely monitor the situation and examine the civil rights and other implications of this legislation. But if we continue to fail to act at a federal level, we will continue to see misguided efforts opening up around the country.contents.”

FOR

Arizona state Rep. Russell Pearce, new law’s author

“Illegal is illegal.

“We’ll have less crime. We’ll have lower taxes. We’ll have safer neighborhoods. We’ll have shorter lines in the emergency rooms. We’ll have smaller classrooms.”

AGAINST

Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

“The civil rights community is deeply disappointed with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s decision today to sign into law Senate Bill 1070, an odious piece of legislation that is poised to do great harm to the state of Arizona and to the fundamental ideals on which our country was founded.

“This law will make racial profiling the norm in Arizona by requiring law enforcement to stop, question, detain, and arrest anyone that they have a ‘reasonable suspicion’ to believe is undocumented — that is, anyone they suspect of being ‘foreign,’ targeting not only undocumented immigrants but also legal permanent residents and citizens, as well as anyone from any state or nation who travels legally to Arizona for work, leisure, or to visit a family member. To be clear, race and ethnicity have nothing to do with citizenship and legal status.

“As studies have consistently shown, racial profiling is an ineffective and counterproductive law enforcement tactic. Contrary to Gov. Brewer’s claims, this law will make Arizona less safe — it will divert and drain law enforcement resources and discourage communities from working with law enforcement to report, solve, and prevent serious crimes. That’s why many Arizona law enforcement officials, including the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police, opposed it.

“Institutionalizing racial profiling in the misguided attempt to repair immigration is bound to fail, but not before inflicting collateral damage to the state of Arizona and its residents.”

Much, much more on the jump page, from the Archbishop of Los Angeles to Glenn BeckRosa Rosales, national president, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC):

“We are horrified. This law opens the doors to racial profiling. It requires police officers, if they form a ‘reasonable suspicion’ that someone is an illegal immigrant, to detemine the person’s immigration status.”

Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, head of the largest Catholic diocese in the U.S.:

“American people are fair-minded and respectful. I can’t imagine Arizonans now reverting to German Nazi and Russian Communist techniques whereby people are required to turn one another in to the authorities on any suspicion of documentation. Are children supposed to call 911 because one parent does not have proper papers? Are family members and neighbors now supposed to spy on one another, create total distrust across neighborhoods and communities, and report people because of suspicions based upon appearance?”

Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR):

“FAIR applauds Gov. Jan Brewer, Sen. Russell Pearce and other Arizona leaders for acting decisively to protect Arizonans as they cope with a crisis brought on by mass illegal immigration. Once again, Arizona is showing the rest of the nation that in the face of federal indifference to border security, state and local governments have the ability to protect their citizens and public resources.

“Faced with mounting costs, lost jobs and violent crime resulting from mass illegal immigration, Gov. Brewer has acted responsibly to protect Arizonans. In signing S.B. 1070, Gov. Brewer has responded to the will of the people and risen above the incendiary rhetoric of those who are maliciously attempting to divide Arizonans along ethnic lines.

“We hope that enactment of S.B. 1070 will result in renewed interest on the part of Washington to secure the border and enforce our laws throughout the nation. The vast majority of Americans simply want the government to enforce our laws, and Gov. Brewer and the Arizona legislature are proving it can be done.”

Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa:

“The government of Mexico regrets that, despite the overtures made at all levels by Mexican federal and state officials, the legislators who passed this measure and the governor of Arizona have not taken into account the valuable contributions of migrants to the economy, society and culture of Arizona and the United States of America. The Mexican government took various steps to express to the Arizona government its concerns about the law without obtaining a positive response.

“The government of Mexico acknowledges the sovereign right of every country to decide on the public policies that should apply in their territory. Nevertheless, when a measure such as SB 1070 has the potential of affecting the human rights of thousands of Mexicans, the Mexican government cannot remain indifferent.

“Criminalization is not the way to resolve undocumented immigration. The existence of cross-border labor markets requires comprehensive, long-term solutions. Shared responsibility, trust and mutual respect must be the bases for addressing the shared challenges in North America.”

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz:

“The extremely disappointing news that Governor Brewer caved to the radical fringe by signing SB 1070 launches Arizona into a spiral of pervasive fear, community distrust, increased crime and costly litigation, with nationwide repercussions. This cowardly gubernatorial act is the epitome of irresponsible leadership…

“One significant measure of SB 1070’s patent illegality is that it seeks to implement Arizona’s own scheme of immigration regulation — separate and in conflict with federal government policy — when our Constitution envisions a unified nation under one federal set of immigration regulations to be adopted by Congress and implemented by the President. By rejecting that constitutional plan, Arizona’s enactment of SB 1070 is tantamount to a declaration of secession.

“In response, the federal government must act to preserve our united nation by clearly stating that it will not cooperate in any way with the implementation of SB 1070 — that it will not adjust or alter its immigration enforcement priorities to the detriment of other states simply to accommodate Arizona’s most recent exercise in racial demagoguery.

“At the same time, Arizona should brace for the inevitable response to its leadership’s folly — decreased cooperation with police that yields higher rates of crime, decreased international commerce that has ripple effects throughout the state economy, and a significant waste of taxpayer resources on defending and vainly attempting to implement a deeply flawed law.”

Conservative commentator Glenn Beck:

“It will be the toughest piece of Immigration enforcement in the country. Now, get this: What Arizona is doing is they are making it illegal to be illegal.

“I just can’t believe I live in a country where we have to pass a law to make it illegal to be illegal. Why don’t we just leave it at you’re illegal? Not an illegal illegal.”

Marge Baker, Executive Vice President of People For the American Way:

“In signing this proposal into law, Gov. Brewer has dealt a blow to efforts to fix the country’s immigration system in an honest, respectful, and pragmatic way. The campaign that brought this bill to her desk did so by appealing to fears and resentments, exploiting divisions, and peddling dangerous generalizations. We are disappointed that Gov. Brewer did not stand up to a right-wing smear campaign that has labeled all immigrants as criminals, and demanded blatant racial profiling by police in her state.”

Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR (National Council of La Raza):

“We are extremely disappointed that Governor Brewer chose politics over sound policy. She joins a long line of other Arizona politicians who are trying to ensure their own political survival at the expense of the people they claim to represent and serve.

“This is a watershed moment for the President and Congress. Will they continue to abdicate their responsibility and allow other states to follow suit or will they show leadership and respond to the state of emergency that our communities face by enacting comprehensive immigration reform?

“The passage of SB 1070 will legitimize racial profiling in Arizona and it goes against our laws and our values as a country. At this moment, we need to appeal to the better angels of what makes us Americans, and not our worst fears. Unfortunately, the rhetoric of division, and not unity, has prevailed today. We will continue to work with our allies to find a solution to our broken immigration system at the federal level, the urgency of which cannot be overstated due to this new law.”

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine:

“Unfortunately, while Democrats in Washington seek a responsible solution to the challenges that we all face with respect to America’s current immigration laws, Republicans have proposed a patchwork of extreme fixes that will not help the situation and will instead serve to undermine Americans’ liberties and civil rights while fostering intolerance. There is no clearer example of such extremism than the bill signed in Arizona today by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer and endorsed by Sen. John McCain who had previously been a sponsor of comprehensive immigration reform. Arizona’s new law tramples on Americans’ basic notions of justice and legitimizes prejudice – it is both small-minded and short-sighted.

“I am hopeful that instead of pursuing such misguided efforts, Republican in Congress will join with the President and Congressional Democrats to find a responsible solution to immigration reform that will promote respect for the law, keep law enforcement resources focused on criminal behavior, and benefit all Americans.”